As a medical student, the idea of interviewing for a residency position at your home institution might relieve some stress about the interview process. In reality, it also presents a special challenge. It’s familiar territory, yet the stakes can feel high.
Whether you’re banking on staying put or considering your home program as one of many options, there’s plenty to consider. Two physicians who interviewed with their home programs—one of whom matched with that program—offered a few key tips for applicants who are preparing to go through that process.
The AMA helps medical students master the residency-application process so you can make the right decisions about your career, prepare for a knockout interview, explore residency opportunities—all so you can successfully match.
Don’t make assumptions
An international medical graduate who earned her PhD at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Rosalynn Conic, MD, PhD, MPH, interviewed with Case Western in pursuit of a residency position.
She advised residency applicants not to make assumptions about a program or about your relationships with people in a program.
“You’re pretty relaxed when you enter the interview, and you may not take it as seriously,” she said. “You feel like they know you, so they should value you higher."
That could be a mistake. Another assumption that you shouldn’t make in any interview is that your home-program interviewer gave your application packet a deep read.
“Don't get discouraged if they haven't read your application,” Dr. Conic said. “If you've done research with them, they may think that … they know everything about you, so they don't bother reading your personal statement.”
Ultimately, Dr. Conic didn’t match with her home institution. Instead, she completed a one-year, preliminary general surgery residency track at the University of Maryland that led her to her current position as chief resident in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Florida College of Medicine.
“I just decided to accept it,” she said. “Things happen. Dermatology is a very competitive field, and I was happy with where I ended up.”
Dive deeper:
- Meet your Match: Assessing program culture during virtual residency interviews
- Interviewing for physician residency programs
- Mastering M4: Top questions for your fourth year of medical school
- M4s should be prepared for these 3 residency interview questions
- Meet Your Match: How to nail the virtual interview
Prepare for a formal interview
Having done her medical school training at the University of Mississippi, Avani Patel, MD, MHA, was confident she wanted to stay there to train as a psychiatry resident. One of the reasons was her relationships with faculty in the program.
When interview day rolled around, Dr. Patel found her home program was tougher on her than other places she interviewed.
“They were harder on me in my home interview,” said Dr. Patel, an AMA member. “Faculty at other institutions were way more casual and complimentary. At my home institution, they really kept to professional boundaries to avoid any perception of bias.”
Don’t take your interview for granted
Overconfidence doesn’t play well in any interview setting. So, even if you feel at ease with your home program, you still need to treat the interview with the same seriousness as any other. Or, as Dr. Conic puts it, “never take an interview for granted.”
Dr. Patel added that a home-program interview is often a courtesy, but it doesn’t mean that your home program will end up ranking you highly.
“So many students assume, ‘If no one else takes me, my home institution will,’” Dr. Patel says. “That’s a false assumption. You need to respect what the program offers and what they’re evaluating.”
Follow the road to residency
Get tips and insider advice from the AMA on how to successfully Match to a residency program—delivered to your inbox.
Be ready for curveballs
Interviews are designed to test your mettle. So, be prepared for surprise questions and the types of awkward conversations you may have at any other institution.
“I started out feeling comfortable,” said Dr. Patel, now the owner and founder of Mississippi Psychiatry & Wellness. ““Then they hit me with ethics and behavioral questions I didn’t expect. It felt like I was back in medical school.”
For Dr. Conic, an AMA member, the awkward moments came when “they know you too well and run out of questions to ask. It’s like 10 minutes of trying to fill the silence.”
Dive deeper:
- Meet Your Match: What to do after your residency interview
- Which factors do applicants weigh most when picking residency programs?
- Ask these questions before finalizing your Match rank-order list
- Residency interviews: Don’t forget to ask these 7 key questions
It’s a two-way street
While you might field most of the questions on interview day, you are also evaluating your home program. That means you should be prepared to ask questions.
“I asked about mentorship—how they guide residents during fellowship applications and later when looking for jobs,” Dr. Conic says. “It’s important to get a sense of the support you’ll receive.”
For Dr. Patel, her home program interview backed up her stance that she wanted to stay home for residency.
“It’s a chance to figure out if this is where you truly want to be. For me, it reaffirmed that I’d be happy staying close to family and treating the patients I love.”
